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USC

Pre-dawn robbery and attempted rape halted by a passerby; suspect fled

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The USC Department of Public Safety issued a timely warning after a robbery and attempted rape occurred at 2:59 a.m. PDT on March 18, 2024, in front of the John & Alice Tyler Building at 3601 Flower Street on the University Park Campus. A non-USC victim walking on Flower Street was approached by a suspect on a bicycle, who pushed the victim toward a nearby bush and attempted to sexually assault the victim at knife point. A passerby heard the victim scream, intervened, and the suspect fled eastbound on Flower Street under the 110 Freeway overpass with the victim's cell phone.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
University of Southern California
Private R1 · CA
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~49,500 studentsTrojansAlert
Official alert policy
Read when and how USC says it will use TrojansAlert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimUSC Department of Public Safety Timely Warnings Archive1759 chars
USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TIMELY WARNING Incident: Robbery and Attempted Rape Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM Location: In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street While walking on Flower Street, a non-USC victim was approached by a suspect on a bicycle, who pushed the victim towards a nearby bush where he attempted to remove the victim's pants at knife point. A passerby heard the victim scream for help and intervened, which caused the suspect to stop his attack. The suspect took the victim's cell phone and left on his bicycle going eastbound on Flower Street under the 110 Freeway overpass. The Clery Act requires that USC notify the public of certain crimes which occur within Clery-designated geography. These reports are called Timely Warnings. When a criminal incident occurs within USC's Clery Geography that represents a serious or continuing threat to the safety of students, employees, and others, DPS issues a Timely Warning in compliance with the Clery Act. The purpose of this warning is to aid in the prevention of similar crimes by alerting the community about the incident and to provide information which allows individuals to make informed decisions about their personal safety. Safety Recommendations: - Walk in groups, especially at night - Be aware of your surroundings at all times - If you feel threatened, call DPS immediately - Use Campus Cruiser or Lyft ride services provided by USC - Report suspicious activity to DPS If you have information relevant to the crime(s) reflected in this alert, immediately call DPS at (213) 740-6000 for the University Park Campus (UPC), (323) 442-1000 for the Health Sciences Campus (HSC) or (213) 485-6571 for the LAPD Southwest Division.
The incident occurred at 2:59 a.m. PDT, during the highest-risk window for campus sexual assaults, when fewer witnesses and safety escorts are available
USC discloses that the victim was 'non-USC', language commonly used in DPS bulletins for incidents within Clery geography but involving community members who are not USC students or employees
The alert details the suspect's MO (bicycle approach, pushed victim into bushes, knife point), atypically specific for a sexual-assault Clery alert because the suspect was a stranger and the bystander intervention provided witness detail
A passerby's intervention was decisive in stopping the attack, the alert preserves this fact, modeling bystander response without making it a generic safety tip
References USC's Campus Cruiser and Lyft ride services as preventive resources, reflecting the university's investment in late-night transportation alternatives
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TIMELY WARNING Incident: Robbery and Attempted Rape Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM Location: In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street While walking on Flower Street, a non-USC victim was approached by a suspect on a bicycle, who pushed the victim towards a nearby bush where he attempted to remove the victim's pants at knife point. A passerby heard the victim scream for help and intervened, which caused the suspect to stop his attack. The suspect took the victim's cell phone and left on his bicycle going eastbound on Flower Street under the 110 Freeway overpass. The Clery Act requires that USC notify the public of certain crimes which occur within Clery-designated geography. These reports are called Timely Warnings. When a criminal incident occurs within USC's Clery Geography that represents a serious or continuing threat to the safety of students, employees, and others, DPS issues a Timely Warning in compliance with the Clery Act. The purpose of this warning is to aid in the prevention of similar crimes by alerting the community about the incident and to provide information which allows individuals to make informed decisions about their personal safety. Safety Recommendations: - Walk in groups, especially at night - Be aware of your surroundings at all times - If you feel threatened, call DPS immediately - Use Campus Cruiser or Lyft ride services provided by USC - Report suspicious activity to DPS If you have information relevant to the crime(s) reflected in this alert, immediately call DPS at (213) 740-6000 for the University Park Campus (UPC), (323) 442-1000 for the Health Sciences Campus (HSC) or (213) 485-6571 for the LAPD Southwest Division.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the source is present; the USC Department of Public Safety is named as issuer.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" as issuer.
    2. present: It names "USC Department of Public Safety" and "DPS".
    3. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY", the issuing authority.
    4. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY", a responding authority.
    5. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS" as the issuing authority.
    6. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "LAPD", the issuing authorities.
    7. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS", the issuing authority.
    8. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS" as the issuing authority.
    9. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS".
    10. present: It names the "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY".
    11. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS".
    12. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS".
    13. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY", the issuing authority.
    14. present: It names the "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "LAPD".
    15. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS", the issuing authority.
    16. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" as the issuing authority.
    17. present: It names the "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY".
    18. present: It names the "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and the "LAPD Southwest Division".
    19. present: It names the "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" as the issuing authority.
    20. present: It opens with "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY", naming the issuing authority.
    21. present: Names the "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" issuing a "TIMELY WARNING".
    22. present: Names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS".
    23. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS" as the issuing authority.
    24. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS".
    25. present: It names "USC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY" and "DPS".
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that the hazard is present; robbery and attempted rape at knife point are named.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: States "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific hazards.
    2. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with a suspect acting "at knife point".
    3. present: Names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific crimes.
    4. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific threats.
    5. present: States "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific threats.
    6. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" "at knife point", specific threats.
    7. present: It states "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with a suspect acting "at knife point", specific threats.
    8. present: States "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with a suspect acting "at knife point".
    9. present: States "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, a specific threat.
    10. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at "knife point", a specific threat.
    11. present: It states "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at "knife point", specific threats.
    12. present: States "Incident: Robbery and Attempted Rape" at "knife point".
    13. present: States "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific threats.
    14. present: It states "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific hazards.
    15. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific threats.
    16. present: Names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with a knife-point attack.
    17. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with a knife, a specific threat.
    18. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, a specific threat.
    19. present: It states "Incident: Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, a specific threat.
    20. present: It states "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, specific named threats.
    21. present: States "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at "knife point", specific threats.
    22. present: Names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with a suspect attacking "at knife point".
    23. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" at knife point, a specific threat.
    24. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with attack "at knife point".
    25. present: It names "Robbery and Attempted Rape" with a suspect attacking "at knife point".
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree a location is given, the John and Alice Tyler Building at 3601 Flower Street.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Locates it "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    2. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    3. present: Specifies "the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street", an address.
    4. present: It cites "the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street", a specific location.
    5. present: Says "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street", a precise location.
    6. present: It says "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    7. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street", a specific address.
    8. present: Gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    9. present: Locates it "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    10. present: It cites "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    11. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    12. present: Gives location "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    13. present: Says "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street", a specific location.
    14. present: It gives the location "John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    15. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street", a specific location.
    16. present: Locates it "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    17. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    18. present: It gives the location "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    19. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building... at 3601 Flower Street".
    20. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street", a specific address.
    21. present: Gives "the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    22. present: Specifies "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    23. present: It locates it "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    24. present: It gives "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
    25. present: It locates it "In front of the John & Alice Tyler Building located at 3601 Flower Street".
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that guidance is present; recipients are advised to walk in groups and call DPS immediately.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Recommends "Walk in groups", "call DPS immediately", protective actions.
    2. present: It lists safety recommendations such as "Walk in groups, especially at night" and "call DPS".
    3. present: Recommends recipients "Walk in groups, especially at night" and "call DPS immediately".
    4. present: It gives "Safety Recommendations" like "Walk in groups, especially at night", protective actions.
    5. present: Recommends "Walk in groups", "call DPS immediately", and use safe ride services.
    6. present: It recommends actions like "Walk in groups, especially at night" and "call DPS immediately".
    7. present: It instructs "If you feel threatened, call DPS immediately" and "Walk in groups", protective actions.
    8. present: Lists safety recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night", protective actions.
    9. present: Advises "Walk in groups, especially at night" and "If you feel threatened, call DPS immediately".
    10. present: It advises to "Walk in groups, especially at night" and "If you feel threatened, call DPS immediately".
    11. present: It recommends recipients "Walk in groups" and "call DPS immediately" if threatened.
    12. present: Lists safety recommendations: "Walk in groups, especially at night" and "call DPS immediately".
    13. present: Gives Safety Recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night", protective actions.
    14. present: It gives Safety Recommendations such as "Walk in groups, especially at night".
    15. present: It gives safety recommendations like "Walk in groups" and "call DPS immediately", protective actions.
    16. present: Gives safety recommendations such as "Walk in groups, especially at night" and "call DPS immediately".
    17. present: It gives safety recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night" and to call DPS.
    18. present: It gives safety recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night", protective actions.
    19. present: It gives safety recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night".
    20. present: It lists "Walk in groups, especially at night" and call DPS, protective actions.
    21. present: Recommends recipients "Walk in groups", "call DPS immediately", and other safety actions.
    22. present: Lists safety recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night".
    23. present: It gives safety recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night".
    24. present: It gives safety recommendations like "Walk in groups, especially at night".
    25. present: It advises recipients to "Walk in groups", "call DPS immediately", and other actions.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree time is present; the alert gives 03/18/2024 at 2:59 AM.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    2. present: It gives "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM", a clock time and date.
    3. present: Gives "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM", a date and clock time.
    4. present: It states "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    5. present: Gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    6. present: It gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    7. present: It gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM", a clock time and date.
    8. present: Gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM", a clock time and date.
    9. present: Gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    10. present: It gives the time "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM" of occurrence.
    11. present: It gives "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    12. present: Gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    13. present: Gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    14. present: It provides "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    15. present: It states "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM", a clock time and date.
    16. present: Gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    17. present: It gives "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM", a specific date and time.
    18. present: It gives the date and time "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    19. present: It gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    20. present: It states "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM", a clock time and date.
    21. present: Provides "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    22. present: Gives "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    23. present: It cites "03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    24. present: It gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
    25. present: It gives "Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/18/2024, 2:59 AM".
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present by unanimous read: it describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint with a physical attack on a victim, conveying clear violent harm.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Describes a robbery and attempted rape at knife point, explicit stated harm and threat to the victim.
    2. present: It describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint with the victim screaming for help, conveying clear violent harm.
    3. present: An attempted rape at knifepoint with the victim screaming for help conveys explicit serious harm and danger.
    4. present: It reports a robbery and attempted rape at knife point where a victim screamed for help, conveying explicit threats of serious harm.
    5. present: It describes a knifepoint attempted rape and robbery, conveying actual and threatened violent harm to a victim.
    6. present: It describes a robbery and attempted rape at knife point with the victim screaming for help, a clear stated harm.
    7. present: Describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint where the suspect attacked a victim, conveying explicit harm.
    8. present: It describes an attempted rape at knifepoint where a suspect pushed and attacked a victim, an explicit serious harm.
    9. present: Describes a knifepoint attempted rape and robbery with the victim screaming for help, clearly stated harm.
    10. present: It describes a robbery and attempted rape at knife point with a victim screaming for help, a clear stated violent harm.
    11. present: It describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint with the suspect attempting to remove the victim's pants, conveying serious violence.
    12. present: Describes an attempted rape at knife point where the victim screamed for help, explicit violent harm.
    13. present: Describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint with the victim screaming for help, an explicit account of serious harm.
    14. present: Describes an attempted rape at knife point and a robbery, clearly stated harms to the victim.
    15. present: Describes a knifepoint attempted rape and robbery, a clearly stated violent harm.
    16. present: It describes an attempted rape at knifepoint and robbery, an explicit serious harm to the victim.
    17. present: It describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint where the victim was pushed and screamed for help, an explicit harm to a person.
    18. present: It describes a robbery and attempted rape at knife point with the victim screaming for help, explicit harm to a person.
    19. present: Describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint with the victim screaming for help, conveying clear violent harm to the victim.
    20. present: It describes a knife-point attempted rape and robbery, clearly stated harm to a victim.
    21. present: Describes a robbery and attempted rape at knifepoint with the victim screaming for help, an explicit violent harm.
    22. present: It describes a knife-point robbery and attempted rape with an attacker removing a victim's pants, conveying explicit violent harm.
    23. present: It describes a knife-point attempted rape and robbery, clearly stated harms to the victim.
    24. present: This describes a knife-point attempted rape attack on a victim, a clearly stated serious harm.
    25. present: Describes a robbery and attempted rape at knife point, an explicit violent harm to a person.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

This timely warning documents a stranger attack that escalated from an attempted rape at knife point to a robbery outside the John & Alice Tyler Building at 3601 Flower Street on USC's University Park Campus. The 2:59 a.m. PDT incident (during the highest-risk window for campus assaults) was halted only when a passerby heard the victim scream and intervened, prompting the suspect to flee on his bicycle eastbound under the 110 Freeway) overpass with the victim's cell phone. USC discloses that the victim was a non-USC community member, a category USC's DPS routinely identifies in Clery alerts when an incident occurs within the university's Clery geography but involves someone outside the campus population. USC maintains one of the most extensive timely warning archives among private universities, publishing each alert as a permanent web page with the full incident description rather than only the boilerplate. The area around USC's University Park Campus in South Los Angeles has historically been a focus of campus safety concerns, and the university has invested in security infrastructure and ride services to mitigate risks.
Outcome
Investigation opened by USC DPS and LAPD Southwest Division. No immediate arrest reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    USC DPS - Robbery and Attempted Rape Timely Warning
    dps.usc.edu
    archived copy
  2. Official
    USC Department of Public Safety - Clery and Crime Alerts
    dps.usc.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "University of Southern California: Pre-dawn robbery and attempted rape halted by a passerby; suspect fled." Incident of March 18, 2024. Added May 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/usc-robbery-attempted-rape-2024-03-18/

Download case JSON

Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
timely-warningsexual-assaultrobberyattempted-rapecaliforniaprivate-universitylate-nightUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion